Building without a plan

I recently built a plane till for my hand planes. This was one of the first things I’ve done where I didn’t draw up a plan before I started.

I see a lot of posts from beginning woodworkers asking for plans for things. They see something they like, but then don’t know where to start or have a vision of something they want to build but have a hard time understanding how it would go together. Well, I crossed a major bridge on that in this recent project. Instead of spending time with my graph paper or going in the Sketchup, I just started laying things out and cutting as I went. It can be done!

The trick for me on this one was to get the layout I wanted, and then think through the joints. What purpose were they serving? What forces would they see? That allowed me to select the right one for the job.

I talk through my reasoning in the following video. Please consider checking it out if you are new to wood working. I hope some of my descriptions will help you through planning your next project. https://youtu.be/H1cLTYimfos

I am the worst draftsman you can imagine and therefore I always work without plans, the design and everything else is done in my head and when it is a project a little more complicated, what I have is a very basic sketch with the rough most important measures. It almost always works, but there are times when I’ve wanted to have better drawing capabilities

Wise huh Well i to enjoy having a project in my head and working thru it as i go not to say i dont draw up plans for somethings but i cant say its always needed let alone always the most enjoyable way to make. I am not a commercial woodworker so i do mine in the way i enjoy doing it the most.